Assigjxtob to b



'W. E. WILLIS.

' BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7, I92I.

1,375,8 0, Patented Apr. 26,1921.

INVENTOR.

M f. BY

A TTORNE Y5 I new TABLE/EN E. JVILLES, 033 NORTH ATTLEBQBO, J'MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNQR TO E. I.

FRANKLIN & (36;, 0E I'JURTH ATTLEBO CONSISTING 0F 'WALLACE G. BEAN FISHER.

R0, IiEiASSACH'USETTS, A CGPARTNEBSHIP I, CLARENCE W. FISHER, AND ELTON B.

BUCKLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February '7, 1921. Serial No. 442,966.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, lVARREN E. WILLIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Attleboro, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles, of which the following is a speciii cation. 7

My invention is an improvement upon the well known clamp buckle and is particularly designed for use in belt buckles.

in the drawings l igure 1 is a side elevation of belt buckle, in clamping position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, in open position;

3 is an under or inside plan view 3'" of .4 1g. 1,

a clamp 4 is a section through the clamping end of a buckle, with my improved connection;

Fig. 5 is a detail cross sectional view, on an enlarged scale, on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a similar View on line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the clamping member;

Fig. 8 is a and tube;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the old style clamping member Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a simple embodiment of my invention.

In belt buckles of the clamping type, such as illustrated in the drawings, (Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive) one end of the strap or belt X is secured to the handle or loop, A, of the clamping member, and the free end of the strap is passed through the body member B while the clamp is in open position, and the clamping jaw H is then turned to engage the strap X and clamp it between the and the body B. The clamping member as heretofore used consisted of a clamping jaw perspective View of the pintle H, a handle it, and lugs it, all integral (seethickerthe parts will be put under considerable strain in the clamping operation. If the strap is still thicker it will not be possible to turn the clamping member into a clamping position which it can hold in use.

Belts employing clamping buckles, such as are shownare usually assembled by the dealer, who purchases straps of various lengths and buckles of varying designs and materials and assembles to suit the customer.

In practice leather belt straps which are cut from a hide, vary greatly in thickness, with the result that clamping buckles, of the type shown in the drawings, in many cases work imperfectly. if the clamp is designed for thick strap, it fails to clamp a thin strap and if designed for a strap of 1ninimum thic mess it may be impossible to turn it to a self-holding clamping position when a thick strap is used. The dealer must therefore carry a larger stock of straps and select by experiment a strap combining the right factors of length and thickness to operate well within the buckle selected or must have a range of size in the clamping member in every style buckle.

It is the object and effect of my invention to provide a self-adjusting or compensating clamp belt buckle, which will clamp equally on thick or thin straps, within a wide range of variation, with the r sult that the dealer need stock only the minimum number of straps and buckles, for any buckle will fit any strap.

It will be observed that as heretofore made the pivot end, 72' of the clamping member with its lugs 70 integral, these lugs engaging ears 6 upon the body B, formed a stiff and unyielding connection (see Fig. 9). in my improved clamping buckle the pivot portion of the clamping member can ries no integral lugs. The pivot portion or end of the clamping member is bored longitudinally as at 1, Fig. 10, and is then undercut as at 2, Fig. 10. A flexible pintle 3, is then inserted the ends of the pintle pass through the ears I) on the body and connect the body and the clamp.

Viewed from the upper or outer side, the buckle appears to be identical with the old style buckle, but it will be apparent that, when the jaw H is in engagement with the strap the pintle is unsupported at the undercut portion 2 of the pivot end 5 and the flexin Patented Apr. @6, 1921.

clamping jaw H, may flex slightly, the ears 6 holding the ends of the pintle and the mid portion or the pintle rising slightly with the clamping member. This action takes place when a strap some .vhat thicker than the normal minimum thickness is employed.

In the best mode oi": applying my invention I do not bore and undercut the pivot ends kg of the clamping member, as described above, but groove the upper or outer 'surface of the pivot end if as at if (see Fig. 7). In this groove lay a small tube 4:, undercut at its ends, as at 2. Through this tube is passed a flexible pintie 3 and the assembly is then fixed in the groove if. The undercut side of tube l faces the pivot end if, the result is that the pintle is in contact with the long side and the short side of tube 4, and that a semi-circular space 41 is formed between pintle 3 and the groove 71?, equal in thickness to the thickness of the walls of tube 4:, at that part of the pintle which extends beyond the short side of the tube i. When pressure is applied to clamp H the pivot-end 7L2 is forced up and the pintle 3 be flexed, but when the flexure is sutlicient the pintle will contact near is ends, with the ends of groove 7L thus changing the fulcrum point and practically neutralizingthe flexibility of the pintle and preventing any damaging fiexure.

I claim:

1. In buckle, a body part; a clamping member having a. relatively short bearing for a pintle adjacent the clamping jaw; a flexible pintle engaging the relatively short bearing and the body part, to connect the two parts with capacity for rotative and reciprocative relative movement, substantiaily described.

2. in a buckle, body part; a clamping member having a tubular bearing for a pintle adjacent the clamping jaw, open at its ends on one side of the bearing; a flexible pintle engaging the tubular member and the body part, to connect the two parts wi"h capacity for rotative and reciprocative reiative movement, substantially as described.

S. in a buckle, a body part; a clamping member having a rela;ively short bearing for a pintle adjacent the clamping jaw, formed as a tube and secured to the body of the clamping member; a flexible pintle engaging the relatively short bearing and the body part to connect the two parts with capacit d ';la tive movement, su.

i. in a buckle, a body descri:

3 part; a clamping member having a tubular bearing for a pintle acent the clamping jaw and a relatively short bushing in the tubular bearing upon one side; a flexible pintle engaging the tubuiar bearing and the body part, the pintle being supported at its mid portion by the bushing, all combined and organized to connect the two parts with capacity for rotative and reciprocative relative movement with a predetermined limiting stop to the reciprocative relative movement, substantially as described.

Signed at North Attleboro, Massachusetts, this first day of February, 1921.

WARREN E. WILLIS. 

